


Partners

by palmtreelights



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers in Space
Genre: Gift Fic, M/M, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-29
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-17 18:09:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4676306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/palmtreelights/pseuds/palmtreelights
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zhane always has Andros' back—until he doesn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Partners

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this for my friend for last Christmas and never posted it (oops :/ good job). She asked me for Andros/Zhane fic. She enjoyed. :) I hope others do, too!

The morpher feels heavy on Andros' wrist, grounding him in his home world now that the elation of becoming a Ranger, of being given the means to travel the universe in search of Karone with little trouble, has passed. He stares up at the stars, twinkling bright and cheerful in the sky, wondering where he'll go and what is waiting for him, what evil forces want to kill him for existing, for daring to believe in goodness and peace.

"Well, at least we can be sure Earth will be in good hands," Zhane says, stnding next to him. "Good thing, too, because when Zordon says he senses trouble somewhere, it's serious."

Andros keeps his gaze skyward. "He must really believe in us, to just give us our morphers and leave."

"Well, yeah." Zhane snorts, his smirk somehow audible. "We're badasses."

"But I could just as easily take the morpher and the ship and abandon the mission until I find Karone." Andros pauses, glances at Zhane. "Yet he still made me Red Ranger."

"Because he knows you won't. Hell, I know you won't. You always do the right thing, even if it means you give something up. Besides, who knows what Zordon isn't telling us? Maybe the bad guys have your sister."

"You know, I would hate that, if he kept that sort of thing from me. That's cruel. I would be even more committed if that were the case and he told me so."

"I don't know, Andros, that could be my 'screw the rules' side talking. But even if he were lying, would you walk away from this?"

Andros doesn't even need to think about it. "No. I can do so much good as a Ranger."

"And that's why you're Red." Zhane nudges Andros in the side with his elbow, barely fazing him. Andros' balance is steady, constant. All the shove does is shake him just a little bit, enough to bring him out of the realm of lies and the hypothetical.

Whether or not there is more than they've been told, he is not alone. With Zhane by his side, the dangers and trials, the victories and defeats, will all be bearable, possibly even something to laugh at. Zhane has sustained him from the moment they met, pulled him from the depths of his grief, helped him become stronger, faster, smarter. Opposites in combat, they are perfect complements. They are as yet undefeated in training. Now that the lives of entire galaxies rest on their shoulders, Andros hopes their record holds.

"Come on," says Zhane, nudging Andros again. "Let's go check out our new space ship."

"Yeah," murmurs Andros. He takes one last look at the sky before leading the way.

 

* * *

 

It isn't exactly smooth sailing, this whole fighting evil on an intergalactic scale thing, but with Zhane by his side, it's bearable.

They only seem to become more and more connected in battle, acting and reacting first with only a glance, and soon even without that. Neither of them has trained in telepathy, but this doesn't hinder their instincts. Andros has absolute confidence in his teammate, and therefore, absolute confidence that they'll always win.

In the middle of an empty quadrant, a monster with vines for fingers rips a hole in the hull of the Megaship's engine room. With the alarms blaring, Andros and Zhane morph and head for the disturbance.

"Critical pressure leak in engine room," DECA announces as they run. A moment later, she adds, "Emergency breach patching activated. Sealing off—"

"Seal off the doors only once Zhane and I are in the engine room," Andros tells DECA.

"Waiting."

"So polite," says Zhane, "even when she's literally been ripped a new one!"

Andros spares a second for a snicker, and then they go through the doors and face Dark Specter's monster. The doors seal shut behind them. DECA's announcement is lost in the monster's screech.

"Yeah, we hear you," says Zhane, and he charges at it.

It's easily defeated, sliced in three and ejected through the tear it had made only a minute ago. It floats through space, pushed by a mighty kick from Zhane in the opposite direction the Megaship is headed. Andros watches it for a few final seconds before getting back to work on the ship, smoothing the metal into place before it cools down in the emptiness all around them.

DECA lets them in when they're done, and it isn't until they've reached the deck with living quarters for four or five other people that they lean back against a wall and slide down to the floor, where they sit side by side, shoulder to shoulder, deep, slow breathing in synch.

"You treat the ship better than you treat me," teases Zhane, his smirk easy and relaxed.

Andros smiles, nudging him. "That's because the ship doesn't go asking for trouble."

"The ship also doesn't heroically jump to your rescue every other fight. And does DECA have your back like I do?"

"Always."

"I'm offended."

"Yeah, right." Andros' laugh echoes down the hall.

When the sound has faded, Zhane watches him a while, closely, and just before Andros begins to tell him to stop, he says, "You don't do that enough. Laugh."

"Yeah." Just like that, the mirth from before leaves him. Laughing is something people do when they're having fun, and Andros hasn't had real fun since that last time he played with Karone. Only Zhane makes him laugh now, but it isn't the same. The tightness in Andros' chest never really goes away.

He meets Zhane's gaze, gets up, walks down the hall. No words, no gestures, just like in battle.

Zhane follows him.

 

* * *

 

When Dark Specter sends not a handful of monsters and mooks to KO-35, but an entire attack force, Andros feels his faith begin to waver.

"Don't sweat it," says Zhane, grasping Andros' shoulder. The weight of his hand is reassuring, but it cannot slow the rapid beating of Andros' heart. "It's just combat. We've got this."

Andros nods, but his gut tells him Zhane is wrong. As they approach their home planet, he hears his sister screaming, and he knows he'll never get to her in time. He'll never save her. He'll fail again.

No, he has Zhane this time. It has to be different.

KO-35's fighting force proves a powerful support, but Dark Specter's army seems only to multiply. Monsters unlike any he and Zhane have ever seen come in waves, destroying vehicles and buildings, setting fires with every step.

"I'll take that one," says Zhane, his voice rough from all the battle yelling he's done so far. "He wants the Silver Ranger, he's got 'im!"

"No, don't! Zhane!"

But Zhane doesn't hear him, and Andros has to face a wave of Quantrons just to catch a glimpse of Zhane's battle. Jumping, kicking, punching through them, one by one until Andros is finally free, finally able to see the tragedy about to unfold right in front of him.

He yells for Zhane through the cacophony of combat, of collapsing structures, of explosions and blaster shots. He runs, seeing, at the same time, this scene of destruction, and the peaceful clearing where he last played with Karone.

"Zhane!" Andros screams, because he can't lose someone else. He can't lose the one person keeping him together after every failed search mission, after every new day with its signs of Dark Specter's growing power.

But he is too far away, and their enemies are too strong, and Zhane falls before Andros can even begin to try and save him.

Not too far from the rubble, a high-ranking monster cackles. Andros unclenches his fists as he kneels by Zhane's side. This is when his training kicks in, giving him a task to do while his brain processes his grief. He puts his ear to Zhane's chest, choking back the rage and sorrow building in his cracking heart, and he holds his breath until, a long, painful moment later, he hears that familiar heartbeat.

He laughs. It's weak, but it's hope, and Andros clings to it. Grasping Zhane's wrist, he teleports them into the Megaship's med bay.

"Andros," says DECA, once analyses are complete, "Zhane's prognosis is significantly less than optimal."

"I know," Andros says, his throat tight, his eyes stinging. It's in that moment that he realizes he hasn't stopped crying, silently, since he listened for Zhane's heartbeat. "But he's not going to die. I won't let him die."

"The suggested course of action is heavy sedation for the duration of this condition."

A forced coma would permit Zhane's body to heal itself, under less dire circumstances. But like this, the swelling may not decrease in time to prevent permanent damage. Andros stares at the myriad screens again. No, Zhane won't survive that, not with the fractured vertebrae and the inflamation putting pressure on his spinal cord. Waking him is not an option, either.

But perhaps—

"Core body temperature stabilizing at 38º Celsius."

"That's it." Andros turns, facing Zhane. "Let's lower his temperature." He pauses, hearing the words echo in his head. Yes. If he cannot turn time back to save him, then he will stop time until he finds the way.

"DECA, initiate cryo sequence."

 

* * *

 

"Can you believe it?"

Andros shakes his head. He pictures Zhane laughing beneath his helmet, reaching to pull Andros down next to him, ready to whisper a witty comeback sure to make him laugh in the face of all the evil in the universe.

"He's throwing himself a party. He called back Divatox for it. What kind of self-respecting monarch of evil calls off his general when she's in the middle of sealing her victory, right?"

Zhane would shrug here, chuckle, poke fun at the fact that their nemesis has a very twisted sense of strategy.

"Anyway, his entire entourage is going to be there, so I have to go. I hear he's going to introduce his heir and announce his plans for the final conquest." Setting his hand on the cold glass, Andros sighs. "I really wish you could have my back."

He can do this, though. Two years alone have sharpened his senses and reflexes. He'll slip in and out unnoticed, and he'll catch Dark Specter and his goons off guard, and the universe will be safe, and he'll pull Zhane out of cryo, and they'll find Karone, and they'll all go back home together to rebuild.

"Wish me luck," says Andros, staring at Zhane for a few more seconds before he puts on his cloak and heads for the feast.

This is the beginning of the end.


End file.
